Canadian cheese should be made from Canadian milk

Canadian cheese should be made fromCanadian milk

Our cows are in danger of losing their jobs as foreign productsmove in By Wendy HolmDecember 13, 2008

The contentment of these Canadian cows andtheir owner depends in large measure onwhether a Supreme Court ruling upholdsOttawa's new cheese content regulations.Photograph by : Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun, FilesCanadians love their cheese. And whether it's cheddar, camembert, mozzarella or any one of the over450 types made in Canada, we assume it's made with Canadian milk from Canadian cows, right?

Canadian cheese should be made from Canadian milk http://www.vancouversun.com/story_print.html?id=1071763&s...

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Think again. If Canada's three multinational cheese makers -- Saputo, Parmalat and Kraft Canada --have their way, imported milk protein concentrates from distant, low-cost, subsidized markets willsoon replace Canadian milk in the manufacture of all but artisan brands, and cheese from our fewremaining farmer-owned cooperatives such as Quebec's Agropur.

Why do Canada's cheese-makers want to put Canadian cows out of work? Globalization and profits.

Make no mistake: Just as Wall Street's addiction to financial derivatives fuelled the economicmeltdown, the use of imported milk derivatives -- the protein concentrates and butter oil-sugar blendsthat are rapidly replacing Canadian milk in the manufacture of domestic cheese and ice cream --undermines the quality and integrity of Canadian dairy products and threatens the future of Canada'ssupply management system.

Getting out means understanding how we got in. A little background:

Canada's dairy farmers operate under supply management. This means farmers manage production tomeet the needs of Canadians. They do not produce for export markets and in return receive anadministered price for their milk that reflects fairly the cost structure of efficient and sustainablefamily farms. A complex system of WTO-sanctioned trade measures (import quotas on fluid andprocessed dairy products and a two-tiered tariff system for in-quota and over quota imports) protectsthe domestic market. Since 1997, 19 different surveys have found Canadian milk is 15 per centcheaper than U.S. product.

When they first showed up in the late 1990s, milk derivatives were imported under several differenttariff classifications. Some entered correctly as dairy products and tariffs were paid, some entered asfood product proteins and no duty was paid. In 2006, the Federal Court of Appeal upheld a CanadianInternational Trade Tribunal ruling lowering the duty for properly classified over-quota imports ofmilk protein concentrates from 270 percent to 6.5 per cent, widening the tear in the tariff wall andencouraging a flood of imports.

Canada's big three dairy processors quickly substituted lower quality imported milk proteinconcentrates for high-quality Canadian milk in the manufacture of cheese and other dairy products.Milk destined for cheese production -- 37 per cent of milk sales -- became unwanted skim milkpowder overnight, throwing the Canadian market into supply imbalance and costing Canadianproducers $250 million a year.

On Sept. 5, after several years of negotiations with European countries a new category for milk proteinconcentrates was added to the Import Control List and a tariff rate quota put in place to reduceeconomic incentives for import.

On Sunday, changes to the Canadian Food and Drug Act will establish minimum domestic milkcontent for four categories of Canadian cheese: Traditional Cheddar (100 per cent), Fine Cheeses (95per cent), Cheddar Cheese, Mozzarella and all cheese other than pizza mozzarella (83 per cent) andPizza Mozzarella (63 per cent).

Dairy farmers point out the new cheese regulations are consistent with GATT, the WTO and othermajor cheese-producing countries -- all of which stipulate domestic milk content in cheese recipes --and should have no effect on Canadian retail cheese prices.


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Canadians point out that with so many international food safety incidents in recent months -- inparticular in China where plastic melamine resin (a pesticide) was added to watered-down milkconcentrates to boost protein -- consumers have a right to know that, when they pick up Canadiancheese, it is made with high-quality Canadian milk from Canadian cows.

All resolved? Everyone happy? Not quite.

On Oct. 20, Saputo, Parmalat and Kraft Canada petitioned the Supreme Court for a judicial review ofOttawa's new cheese regulations, arguing they are unenforceable, lack uniformity and objectivity,improperly delegate discretionary authority to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and have as apurpose providing an economic benefit to dairy producers at the expense of dairy processors andothers. Also challenged is the authority of the Canadian government to regulate cheese standards,arguing the regulation of milk is controlled by the provinces.

The court accepted the application and gave the Crown until Dec. 22 to file evidence. Ex partehearings are Jan. 12. Full hearings are scheduled for March 30 and 31. A quick decision is expected. Ifthe judicial review supports the Crown, Canadian consumers, farmers and cows can breath easier,knowing domestic dairy products will continue to be manufactured with high-quality Canadian milkproduced on sustainable family farms that returns a fair price to the farmer and respects theenvironment. If it goes the other way, the integrity of the Canadian cheese market and the foundationsof supply management are at risk.

For most of us, cheese is a staple of the holiday season, a natural accompaniment to conversationswith friends and family at the parties, receptions and dinners that usher in the New Year.

Uppermost in the minds of Canadians will be our economy. But foremost on their lips will beCanadian cheese.

Want to be witty and wise this holiday season? Want to keep pace with Mr.-Credit-Union-Guy whenhe starts talking about "the macro-economic forces behind the melt-down"? At your fingertips -- theperfect metaphor: Cheese. "See this cheese? Court action by multinational cheese-makers could putCanada's cows out of business. It's about globalization and greed. Derivatives are involved . . . ."

Until agriculture becomes part of our culture, things won't change.

In the meantime, this holiday season, seek out and support our many artisan cheese-makers andregional dairies who have been making good Canadian dairy products with good Canadian milk allalong.

Wendy Holm is a Vancouver-based agrologist and writer.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun


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The contentment of these Canadian cows andtheir owner depends in large measure onwhether a Supreme Court ruling upholdsOttawa's new cheese content regulations.Photograph by : Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun, Files


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Canadian cheese should be made from Canadian milk